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Jan 8, 2013

Museum of Work & Culture

RANGER TALK SERIES AT MUSEUM OF WORK & CULTURE KICKS OFF ON JANUARY 13, 2013

Category: News Room

Posted by: News Room

On Sunday, January 13, 2013, the Museum of Work & Culture at 42 South Main Street, kicks off the 16th season of the Ranger Day Lecture series. Begun in 1998, the program consists of a series of six lectures and presentations from January through March, sponsored by the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Inc. in cooperation with the Rhode Island Historical Society.

The first of this year’s Ranger Talks begins Sunday, January 13 and features author Lawrence Verria and his book The Kissing Sailor. Written in partnership with George Galdorisi, The Kissing Sailor documents the true story of George Mendonsa from Rhode Island, the sailor who spontaneously kissed a nurse in Times Square on August 14, 1945 after receiving the news of Japan’s surrender. Taken by legendary photographer Alfred Eisentaedt, the photo became one of the most famous photos of the 20th Century after it appeared in Life magazine. In 1980 Life attempted to determine the sailor’s identity. When various experts weighed in to support one candidate over another, chaos ensued. Intrigued for decades by the mystery surrounding the identity of the young couple, the authors take a critical, multi-faceted look at all the evidence and unravel years of misinformation and controversy. The Kissing Sailor, the result of their extensive research, solves the sixty-seven year old mystery, providing irrefutable proof of the identities of the sailor and the nurse.

The schedule for future Ranger Talk lectures is as follows:

January 27 Jeff Emidy (Woonsocket Then and Now)

February 10 Erik Eckilson (Closing of the Social Mill)

February 24 Carlo and Betty Mencucci History of Glocester Part III

March 10 Quebec Cinema – A selection of Québec films

March 24 Neil Lanctot – Roy Campanella Story

The one hour long Ranger Talks are held on Sundays at 1:30 pm in the museum’s ITU Hall. All talks are free and open to the public. For more information contact the museum at 401-769-9675.